Castle Rock Neighborhood Info (Denver, Highlands Ranch: HOA, low crime, new home)

[brock.travis]

My wife and I are wanting to move to Castle Rock from Texas in the next few years.

We currently have an 8 month old and will be having more kids in the future. We are wanting to move to a nice place to raise our kids.

Can anyone give a breakdown on the various neighborhoods in the area?
More specifically information on the ones that are most desirable as well as the areas we should avoid.

Are there any new developments that are currently building?

[co_native_sweetie]

The nice thing about Castle Rock is that there aren't really any neighborhoods to avoid! I lived in Castle Rock for a few years and my grandmother lived there for 20. Castle Rock is a small town, but in a way it feels more like a suburb of Denver--many CR residents work in the Denver Tech Center or Denver itself.

Basically there are two large developments that are well established:
The Meadows -- which is on the northwest side of CR, very nice new homes, definitely lots of young families. They just built their first small hospital in this area, though there aren't too many shops open there yet. You simply have to travel a few minutes longer to get into the heart of Castle Rock, but that's not very far at all.

Founders Village -- which is up on the southeast plateau (of sorts) and also has lots of newer homes, though it's slightly older. There is a King Soopers (grocery) store and gas station up there, and it's just about 1 mile from the main intersection down into the "downtown" Castle Rock area. Also very nice parks, trails, family friendly etc. I did live in Founders, however, and one thing I can tell you is that their HOA is HORRIBLE!!! I mean, they'll find you if your car leaks a little oil onto your driveway, that sort of thing. But the small neighborhood right behind it, Castlewood Ranch, is a little better.

Then there's the "downtown" area which has some cute older homes, and some funky older homes. The charm with Castle Rock is the shops in this area. Really cute, some good restaurants, feels pretty safe--though close to train tracks.

Those are the main middle class neighborhoods in Castle Rock.

To the south end of Castle Rock is the Plum Creek neighborhood, this is a well developed neighborhood which consists of more upper class, very pretty. A few minutes north of Castle Rock itself is Castle Pines which is a VERY nice suburb, closer to Denver & Highlands Ranch. Homes there are nice with great views, but definitely an upper class neighborhood.

Those are the main neighborhoods, of course there are a few other pockets. But I can't think of any that I'd describe as "bad" neighborhoods or dangerous. Cops in Castle Rock abound and the only crimes my family ever saw was things like teenagers breaking into cars at night. It's definitely a family friendly town, we loved having our first baby there and calling Castle Rock home. Just keep in mind, Castle Rock is the heart of Douglas County--and that's one of the wealthiest counties in the country right now. So, while the low crime and family friendliness is great, it's also higher as far as cost of living goes. (Our utility bills there were awful.)

Let me know if you have any other questions I can answer!

[2bindenver]

Texas to Castle Rock is a big change.

Where is work?
Have you driven in snow before?
What is tolerable for a commute?
What is important for you in a new community?

[brock.travis]

Driven in plenty of snow and ice.

I currently work from home but might be looking to the Denver Tech Center for another job possibly in the future.

The population where I live is 7x higher than Castle Rock, which is exactly what we are looking for.

Other families just like us with younger kids would be a big plus.

[RedSoxFanGoingWest]

You'd be fine in pretty much any of the newer Castle Rock neighborhoods. They are all overly family-friendly. It really depends on what your definition of desirable is.

Founders and the Meadows are probably the most popular. Although, I personally think Founders is the least desirable. Crystal Valley Ranch, Castlewood Ranch, Sapphire Point and the Terrain (formerly Castle Oaks) are other options. Crystal Valley and Castlewood will add to your commute as they are further off of i-25. I don't know too much about the demographics as I never spent any time there, other during our house hunting about 5 years ago. Sapphire Point is a quick drive to i-25 and in my opinion offers the best mix of nicer homes and family friendly atmosphere. Terrain was just bought out by another developer and they are starting to build new construction as well. Terrain is a little further out from i-25 than Sapphire Point. All will have HOAs that are probably a little too overbearing.

Regarding your commute to the DTC, it is absolutely doable from CR. I did it for about 2 years until we moved from Castle Rock. Yes, you will run into traffic snarls during bad weather but for the most part it is a harmless commute.

[Drcolin]

My wife and I are also looking to move to Castle Tock from Texas. Although this summer has been a wet one with great temps, we are tired of the incredible heat & humidity in Houston. We have been there before & will return in early Fall to scout out areas for our move in March/April. Is there much snow at the end of March & early April? Thanks for any info.

[ca-ut-??]

there was zip snow in march/april. we had 2 big snow storms and i think both were in Feb. We moved to the meadows at the end of Jan. I have heard that it was a mild winter/spring.

We like the Meadow, my husband prefers a less "HOA"y place but coming from CA, I really enjoy the newness of CR.

I'm not sure about other neighborhoods, but the meadows have pretty good school. but the problem is crowding... as is with all douglass county schools i believe (but don't quote me on that)

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

Drcolin, last winter was unusual, as least as far as the past is concerned. Usually March and April are the snowiest months in Colorado, but last winter there wasn't any. Next winter could be entirely different, so you just have to plan your trip around the current weather trends at the time.

[Ming Ming]

The Meadows is new and building lots of homes, the best thing about Castle Rock is the outlet mall. I would love to live close to that!

[Thomas M]

Originally Posted by Ming Ming

The Meadows is new and building lots of homes, the best thing about Castle Rock is the outlet mall. I would love to live close to that!

I really liked the Outlet Mall there, but it was not the "best" thing about CR. I would say, the friendly people rank up there in the best category.